Swope Health announces a new edition of its podcast, One on One with Swope Health, featuring a conversation with Janet Miles Bartee, president and CEO of LINC (Local Investment Commission)
Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.
Ms. Bartee explains the role of LINC in the community – a non-profit organization that works with state and local government, businesses, community and civic leaders to improve the lives of children and families in the Kansas City region. She describes her career journey with LINC, starting as a part-time afterschool teacher, then a site coordinator, supervisor, manager, and vice president before taking the top positions.
LINC, she said, is best described as a hub of caring, providing for the needs of the people in the community. The organization provides caring communities for students, emergency food distribution, early childhood support, employment and job training, financial counseling, elder care, home repairs, neighborhood development, community organizing and much more. LINC serves more than 7,000 children a day in free programs.
LINC is most known for its before- and after-school programs, serving seven school districts and 54 schools. “We serve the whole child, whatever it takes for a child to be successful in school – clothes, food, utility assistance,” she said.
“LINC is whatever the community needs,” she said. LINC provided COVID-19 vaccinations and emergency food during the pandemic, while also making home visits, providing computers and internet hotspots to help students with the sudden shift to online learning. “We pride ourselves on being there for whatever the community needs.”
The pandemic, she said, helped LINC focus on its core mission: serving community, with whatever the need is. The agency distributed $4.5 million in rental and utility assistance during the pandemic.
LINC acts with compassion, she said. “For me, it is helping people become successful and remain successful,” she said. “No matter what we do, there has to be a component on building stability.” Relationships with families are key.
Pending budget cuts from federal and state programs, however, might limit LINC’s ability to expand and serve more of the community. For the first time, LINC has hired a developer to build support with foundations, the city, the county, and individual donors to fill the gaps from federal budget cuts.
What’s missing? “We need to invest in people. We don’t do enough to invest enough in people. We’re not just giving handouts, we are investing in people.”
“So many of our children are suffering,” she said, noting that many children with unstable housing move from school to school. LINC staffers, in distinctive blue shirts are one constant presence in their lives. School programs also address gun violence, conflict resolution, building relationships and character, caring for each other. “We teach them how to be their brother’s keeper, to understand we are responsible for each other,” she said.
Another bright spot in the LINC portfolio is the Palestine Senior Center, 3325 Prospect Ave., where membership has grown from 65 during COVID days to more than 400 now. The activity center provides meals, classes, fitness programs, healthcare and additional resources. Seniors spend time playing dominoes and cards, line dancing, really enjoying themselves while building relationships and community.
Listen to the full conversation to learn more about LINC including its newest programming in athletics, mindful movement, boxing, biking, and much more: https://youtu.be/9SHZGyeTw5c
